Light Up My Heart with Firefly Memories
Alfred . . . Aaalllfred . . . America!"
The young boy's blond head shot up, and he blinked at England. "Whaaaat?" he said in the middle of a yawn.
The older nation chuckled. "I only said that you could stay up tonight because you said you were old enough now and would be able to handle staying awake this late," he said. "Was I mistaken in letting you do that? Do you need to go to bed?"
Alfred drew in a deep breath and shook his head as he sat up straighter. "No, Arthur, I'm wide awake . . . see?" He patted his cheeks. "Not even the slightest bit tired." The 10-year-old stifled an involuntary yawn that punctuated the end of his sentence.
"If that's the case, what were those yawns just now?" Arthur said, raising an eyebrow.
"I was giving my brain and body more air in preparation for the hunt," Alfred declared.
Arthur ran a hand through his messy blond hair and his green eyes twinkled slightly with mirth. "Good grief. You're not stalking prey," he said with a laugh. "They're just insects after all—Ah! Look!" He pointed towards the meadow behind the house the two shared when Arthur visited.
Against the velvety dark deciduous trees, a small yellowish-green light floated up from the tall grasses and hovered in an erratic dance above the ground. Several more lightning bugs soon joined this pioneer.
"That's so cool! They look like little stars waltzing in the air!" Alfred exclaimed. He turned to Arthur, his bright blue eyes glowing with excitement. "So how do we catch them before they explode?"
"What? Explode?" Arthur furrowed his brow. "Who told you that nonsense? They don't explode. They just glow and hover."
"But Francis said they explode," Alfred said, looking confused.
That bloody France is always meddling with my upbringing of America. "Are you going to believe something a silly wine bastard told you or your big brother?" Arthur asked, standing up from his seat on the porch.
Alfred giggled. "I believe you, of course."
"Well they don't explode. Trust me."
"Hoooooraaay!" Alfred yelled as he ran over to the glowing cluster. The bugs hovered slightly higher to avoid the boy.
"Alfred, wait a moment," Arthur called.
Alfred clapped his hands around one of the incandescent insects that hadn't managed to fly above him and then peeked into his hands. "Huh? What's wrong?" He ran back over to the older nation. "Arthur, it's not moving or glowing anymore. Fix it."
Arthur cringed but held out his hands. "Let me see it."
Alfred dropped the bug onto Arthur's palm. The tiny creature twitched a little against the warmth of his hand. He walked over to where the lantern was hanging off the porch, so he could examine it more closely. Alfred followed closely behind; he looked ready to cry.
Arthur gently nudged the insect with his finger. Its wings stuttered with the movement. Thank goodness, he thought. He blew softly on the bug; it fluttered and then shakily righted itself on his palm before flying back into the night, its glowing abdomen stuttering back on.
"Okay, back to the hunt," Alfred said, turning around.
Arthur caught him by the hand before he could run back into the yard. "Al, wait."
"What's wrong?"
Arthur squatted down until he was eye-level with the younger boy. "That bug was merely stunned, but you could have killed it with how roughly you caught it."
"But it's fine, right?" Alfred stated. "You can just do that magic you just used and bring it back to life again."
Arthur sighed and gripped the boy's shoulders. "That wasn't magic I used. All I did was blow on it to wake it up. Furthermore, you can't use magic to bring back the dead. Once something's dead, it's dead."
"You mean dead is forever?"
Arthur nodded.
Alfred dropped his head. "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."
Arthur stood and held out his hand. "Come on. I'll show you the proper way to catch them." He led the boy over to where the bugs floated and then he gently and carefully cupped his hands around one. He leaned down and slightly opened his hands to show his quarry to Alfred. The bug clung to his palm and glowed as if it was always meant to be there.
"See?"
"Cool."
"Go get the glass jar."
Alfred ran over to the back porch and grabbed the dark-green jar* from the table. It had held gooseberries that he had brought from England earlier, but the two nations had finished off the last of them that week. Alfred set the jar on the ground, and Arthur pulled out the cork stopper and dropped the bug into the jar before securing the stopper back in the top.
The tiny insect fluttered against the wall of the jar, and when it discovered it was trapped, it landed on the wall with its tail glowing through the glass. Somehow the light, though a deeper green, managed to glow just as brightly.
"Let's get some more!" Alfred exclaimed.
Within the hour, the two had gathered two dozen lightning bugs inside the jar. The insects were starting to fight for space and tap futilely against their glass cage.
"It's like the whole jar is glowing!" Alfred said, staring at the bottle. "Awesome!"
"It's starting to get chilly out," Arthur said. "Let's go in for the evening." Alfred happily carried in the glowing captives. When they got inside, Arthur punched some holes in a thick piece of paper, uncorked the bottle and quickly set the heavy parchment on top of the jar to give the insects some air to breathe.
He then made some tea to warm them up. He purposely selected the chamomile tea the local teashop lady had guaranteed would put any child to sleep no matter how much energy he or she had. Hmm. This has a very sweet flavor, Arthur noted after sipping his cup. "Oi! Not so much sugar Alfred," he scolded. "It's expensive. Plus you'll be unable to sleep."
Alfred shoved the last spoonful into his mouth. "Sho? I don' wanntha shleep," he said around the spoon before removing it and licking the spoon's bowl. "I wanna stay up and watch my new friends."
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Finish drinking your tea," Arthur said in reply to the younger nation's wish. Ignoring a request, they both knew, was the same as saying "Absolutely not".
Alfred drank the tea without even taking time to enjoy the aroma or flavor; he just stared at the luminescent insects the whole time. They bobbed a bit more easily in the jar now that they had air. Pretty soon Alfred's head started to bob in sync with them.
By Jove, that tea works, even with sugar, Arthur mused. "Perhaps you should head upstairs to bed while I wash these cups," he said, picking up the teacups and saucers.
Alfred inhaled a little, jerking his head up as he did. "I'm not sleepy." He rubbed his eyes with his right hand.
"I see. Well then, by all means, stay here," Arthur said with a slight smile as he carried the dishes over to the basin for washing.
"I will," Alfred replied in the middle of a yawn.
The only sounds in the room after that were the clinking of the dishes as Arthur washed them and the "Tap-tap-tap" of the fireflies against the glass as they continued to try and escape their green prison.
After a few minutes, Arthur peeked over at Alfred. The young boy continued to fight his drowsiness as his head nodded closer and closer to the table. Every now and then, he'd jerk up again, and Arthur decided that his movements were being directed by the bugs in front of him.
When Arthur finished drying and putting away the cups, he turned to find the Alfred soundly sleeping at the table, using his arms as a pillow on the tabletop. Arthur chuckled and quietly picked up the jar. He quickly walked out to the back porch and pulled the paper off of the top, releasing the bugs into the night sky. Experience from his own childhood had taught him that captive glow worms, as he called them in his country, usually didn't survive the night, no matter how much air or food you provided for them.
I guess freedom means more to them than life, he mused as he scooped up Alfred into his arms. The younger nation stirred but didn't wake up. He nuzzled into Arthur's shoulder and stayed asleep all the way up the stairs and into his bed.
"Artie, stay awake," Alfred said with a laugh. "It's not even 9:30 and you're already falling asleep. You're going to miss the fireworks show."
The two nations were sitting on a blanket on the back yard lawn of the same home they used to share, waiting for the local Independence Day show to begin.
"I can't help it," Arthur said with a yawn. "I've got jet-lag."
The now-older and taller Alfred nudged his elbow against Arthur's side. "That's what you said yesterday." He laughed. "I guess you really are an old man."
"Stupid git. I am not," Arthur said.
"Prove it. Stay awake," Alfred countered.
"All right, I will," Arthur said, his competitive nature getting the best of him. "In fact, I'll be so alert that you'll think I drank one of those horrid caffeine drinks of yours. You know, like a Red Jolt Rock Monster or something like that."
Alfred laughed. "You just created the ultimate drink."
"Shut up, you berk," Arthur said as he folded his arms.
"Fweet! Boom!" A bright white firework exploded into the night sky.
"Woo hoo! It's starting!" Alfred shouted.
"Between your shouting and that cacophony in the sky, I should have no problems staying awake," Arthur muttered in between explosions of a red and green firework and then a purple firework.
Alfred looked out of the corner of his eye at the other nation, who yawned widely. And yet you're falling asleep, he thought. He should just admit defeat right now. "Hey Artie, how about we make a game out of it? Winner buys the other a snack?"
A yellow-orange pyrotechnic exploded overhead.
"Uh huh, sure whatever," Arthur sighed, then jerked his head up. "This should be easy since I'm still awake."
"Okay, whatever. So whoever falls asleep first has to buy the other something good to eat, like ice cream," Alfred declared.
"That's an awfully specific prize," Arthur said. "Are you so certain that you're going to win?"
"Yeah, well . . . since you're already 20 winks," Alfred stated. "This contest is in the bag."
"What the blazes are you talking about?" Arthur asked.
"You know, 40 winks?" he replied. "Ah forget it. We're missing the fireworks." As if to emphasize that statement, 6 exploded overhead in multicolored halo shapes. Alfred hooted and fist-pumped the air.
Halfway through the spectacle, Alfred got caught up watching the show and had nearly forgotten their bet when Arthur leaned up against him. Hmm? What's he doing? Alfred turned to glance at the other nation. Arthur was sleeping against his shoulder in spite of the explosions overhead (although they had become a bit more sporadic, which was probably what had allowed him to drift off). Sweet. I win. But I'm gonna need proof.
Doing his best not to jostle Arthur and wake him, Alfred blindly felt around the area where they were sitting for his camera. He found it quickly and snapped a shot of the two nations. He turned the camera around to look at the display screen and only saw a black image. What the heck? Oh yeah. It's still on the firework/nighttime setting. Gotta get it back to the auto-flash.
He started fiddling with the buttons when Arthur suddenly started to fall forward. Whoa! Alfred thought as he caught the other nation.
"I'm not . . . sleep . . . I'm awake," Arthur mumbled.
Phew. Alfred wrapped his arm around the other nation and pulled him closer. Can't have him falling over again before I get my evidence. Now: auto-flash, auto-flash. Lessee.
Arthur snuggled into Alfred and wrapped his arms around the younger nation's torso.
"Hey watch it. What are you doing?" Alfred hissed. His face suddenly acted like it had ignited. What the? That's a weird reaction.
A green explosion burst into the night sky.
"Now, now, Sparkle-hoof, there's no need to be shy . . ." Arthur uttered quietly. "You're too pretty for that."
What the hell? Alfred stared at the other nation. Never mind. Auto-flash. Hmm. Maybe if I turn it off and on again?
As Alfred turned off the camera, he felt Arthur caress his T-shirt.
"Sparkle-hoof, your coat feels funny . . ." he said, rubbing Alfred's side.
"Ah ha ha ha! Cut that out! I'm ticklish!" Alfred yelped before clapping his hand to his mouth. He glanced at the other nation. Did I wake him up?
"Silly girl, I'm just smoothing it out for you," Arthur said with a yawn as he rested his cheek against Alfred's chest, his eyes still closed and a goofy grin on his face. He stroked Alfred's side again.
"Mmmph!" Alfred continued to hold his hand over his mouth in order to suppress the giggle Arthur's caress had prompted.
All at once, Arthur started moving closer to Alfred. The younger nation tried moving backwards, but he succeeded in only causing both of them to tumble to the ground with Arthur landing above Alfred, pinning his arm under him. Arthur snuggled closer and started caressing Alfred's face.
A red bloom burst above them.
What'll I do? Alfred mused, his heart palpitating. Okay. Don't panic. Think this through. I could try to get him to let go, but he might wake up, and then I'll have to hope he falls asleep again before the show ends. Man, I really want to try out that new expensive ice cream place in town.
Arthur gently started stroking Alfred's hair. "What a soft mane you have," he mumbled.
Alfred let out a small laugh. Okay this isn't so bad. Kinda reminds me of when I was younger. No. Not good! I'm startin' to get sleepy. He held the camera above them with his free hand and guesstimated where to hold it so they were both in the frame.
Arthur started stroking Nantucket.
Ah! This is not like when I was younger! Alfred wailed silently, frantically trying to turn on the camera. Stop, stop. Ah! Noooo!
"Sparkle, you've got a cow-lick, or rather, a unicorn-lick," Arthur murmured, chuckling as he tried to smooth Nantucket down more vigorously than before. "Hold still and I'll take care of it for you, sweetie."
"Ahhhhh! Nooooo. Stop," Alfred panted and moved his head slightly away from the other nation's hand just as the camera burst into life.
"Flash! Flash! Flash!"
Hmm? Was that the multi-shot function?
"BOOM BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!" The entire sky lit up with red, white, and blue fireworks for the finale, and the crowd that had been watching all over the neighborhood began cheering loudly and clapping.
"Wha?" Arthur bolted awake. He stared at Alfred whose head was still cradled in his arms and then looked at Alfred's arm under his waist. "Bloody hell!" He catapulted away from the other nation. "How dare you try to take advantage of me while I was asleep?" he panted out.
"Me?! Who was holding onto who just now?" Alfred said, "and calling me Sparkle-hoof and . . . touching me." His face got hot as he remembered the sensation. "If anyone should feel violated, it should be me."
"Why was your arm practically around my waist then?" Arthur asked.
Alfred pushed the review button on his camera and thrust the display screen at the other nation. "So I could get shots of you asleep—I win, dude!"
Arthur stared at the display screen on the camera and sighed. "All right. I'll admit that I was asleep, but what is with your expression, Alfred?"
Alfred reversed the camera and looked at the screen. The heat from embarrassment he'd felt earlier flowed from his head over his entire body. "N-n-nothing's 'with it'. You were tickling me. Yeah. That's all."
"That's your 'being tickled' face?"
"Just drop it okay? You're buying me ice cream right now!" Alfred stated, standing up and shoving the camera in his jacket pocket. Gotta erase those photos later.
"What? Fine. If the parlor is open, I'll buy you some," Arthur said, shrugging and yawning.
They barely made it to the ice cream parlor before closing, so they were forced to order it "to go". Alfred made a point to order the most expensive item on the menu. I'm going to make you pay for touching Nantucket, Alfred thought as he glared at Arthur paying the cashier.
The other nation sensed his stare and glared back at him. "What's with that sour expression?" Arthur asked. "I'm the one who should be upset. Tell me, Alfred, why are all of your ice cream parlors so expensive? I thought you had cheap ice cream here."
Alfred smirked and shrugged. "Sorry Artie. Ice cream is a pricey commodity," he said. I'll never tell you that you can buy a cone for a buck at any fast food place.
After walking home, Alfred insisted that they both sit on the back porch swing while he ate the ice cream so he could gloat "as part of the prize."
"You're getting me more tomorrow," he grumbled to Arthur as he stared at the ice cream and chowed down. "This serving is for tickling me against my will."
No answer came from the other side of the porch swing.
"Artie?" Alfred glanced over at the other nation.
Arthur was propped up against the pillows on the swing, sound asleep.
A smile grew on Alfred's face as he ate another bite of the ice cream. As if a signal had silently been sounded, yellowish-green miniature lights floated up out of the grass. "Hey Artie, look. Fireflies," he said, lightly nudging Arthur.
Arthur stirred, squinted at the insects as they drifted over the lawn, and yawned. "Yeah, they're still as beautiful as they always were."
"I wonder what happened to the ones I caught all those years ago?" Alfred mused. "When I woke up, they were gone like fairy dust or something."
"I set them free . . ." Arthur said, nuzzling into the pillows.
"What?"
"I let them go."
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Arthur took in a deep yawn. "Why? Silly git, it was for the best . . ." He leaned against his hand and looked at the fireflies with half-open eyes.
"I have a cat now, you know, and over the years, I've taken care of the bosses' pets," Alfred declared. "I know I wouldn't have killed those little guys. They're way easier to feed than a cat or dog."
Arthur glanced over at the other nation and shifted in the swing to face him. "Nonsense. They won't keep shining their brightest if you keep them locked up . . . they can't live . . . caged . . . " He yawned and looked out over the grass. "They need to be allowed to fly free . . .even if you love them . . . " he said before dozing off again.
England! All I want is my freedom . . .
. . . I won't allow it! . . . You idiot! . . . Why?
Alfred stared at the sleeping nation. "England, did you finally understand why we needed to separate all those years ago?" he asked quietly. "Is that why you were finally able to come visit me during this time of the year?"
Arthur shifted in his sleep. "Mumble mumble . . . waffles . . . mumble mumble . . ."
Alfred laughed. "Okay. I'll make those for you tomorrow." He maneuvered Arthur so that he could carry him piggy-back to the guest room and tuck him into bed.
Glancing down at Arthur as he slept, Alfred brushed back the other nation's bangs. He let his fingers linger on Arthur's hair and smiled. He let out a quiet laugh and then headed to bed himself.
A/N
Interesting note about the dark green glass bottle used in this story. That color was actually standard for glass jars from England. Glass jars such as the one in the story were often used to parlor things like fruits and jams. Clear class was definitely more expensive and so not as common for items like a fruit jar. America soon started to compete with England for the manufacturing of class (although much of it was shipped to England).
I wanted to mention "Fireflies" in the title but just having that would be too simple (and look like I was copying the song, which is what I didn't want). I'm pretty proud of what I came up with ^_^
Finally, I went with the Teen rating just to be on the safe side. If anyone thinks this is more acceptable as a K+, I'm willing to lower the rating (but you have to let me know).
Although this story is my own work, it is based off of characters from Axis Powers Hetalia (manga & anime). Axis Powers Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and other copyright owners.
UPDATE 09/08/16: On deviantart's website is a collaboration (with the talented deviant gavorche-san) of a beautiful full-color manga/comic of my ongoing fanfiction, "Sunshine and Rain". I'm thrilled both to work with such an amazing artist and with the results of that collaboration so far-She's completed the first two chapters! If you'd like to read the comic, go to my deviantart account and check my favorites (or my latest journals). You'll find a favorite folder specifically for the comic. Or you can search for "gavorche-san deviantart" or "poisonoustiger deviantart" in any search engine: our names paired with deviantart will give you links to our accounts.